Firefighters battle a fire near the site of Wednesday’s fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas. (AP)
Dozens of injuries have been reported following the explosion. (AP)
A fertilizer plant erupted in a massive fireball in Texas last night, killing up to 15 people so far and and injuring more than 160 others as the explosion ripped through a rural town near Waco, authorities said.
“There was an apartment complex that was completely destroyed. It looked like a bomb blast in Iraq,” said Texas state trooper spokesman D.L. Wilson, who told The Post that the blast, in the town of West, injured “hundreds” of people and damaged 75 homes.
“There were 133 victims in the nursing home that we had to get out,” Wilson said.
“A lot of elderly people were injured by flying bricks.”
Federal sources tell the Post there’s been no suggestion of terrorism at this point. The area is still too hot to go in and look for clues, but there’s been no chatter and certainly no claim of responsibility.
“There is always a possibility that it could be criminal or terrorist-related but that has not been suggested at this point,” said a senior Homeland Security official.
In early-morning press conferences, Waco Police Department Sergeant William Patrick Swanton said a group of firefighters – working to evacuate residents and put out the initial fire – remain unaccounted for, as does a law enforcement officer.
Swanton said the death toll is still being calculated but that somewhere between five and 15 people have died so far.
“I think we will see the number of fatalities increase as we reach the morning,” he said.
“We’re going to hope for the best and prepare for whatever we come across.”
At this point, the explosion site is being considered a crime scene, which doesn’t necessarily mean a crime occurred, but officials are still trying to pinpoint a cause.
SOCIAL MEDIA REACTION TO EXPLOSION
REFLECTING ON THE 1947 TEXAS CITY DISASTER
West Mayor Tommy Muska said buildings in a five-block radius from the plant were severely damaged by the explosion.
“We need your prayers. We’ve got a lot of people who are hurt, and there’s a lot of people, I’m sure, who aren’t gonna be here tomorrow,” Muska said.
“We’re gonna search for everybody,” he vowed. “We’re gonna make sure everybody’s accounted for. That’s the most important thing right now.”
West EMS director George Smith was helping to rescue residents when the plant exploded.
“The windows came in on me, the roof came in on me, the ceiling caved,” he said in an interview with KCENTV.com.
The plant blew up after a fire that burned earlier in the day rekindled, sparking the explosion shortly before 8 p.m., Wilson said.
Ambulances, private vehicles and buses rushed victims to hospitals in Waco, about 20 miles north of the plant.
“Currently, we have treated 34 patients and we have not had any fatalities yet,” said Heather Beck, a spokeswoman for Providence Healthcare Network.
“We actually have a bus coming right now with 15 more patients.”
By morning, Providence had treated nearly 70 patients. Other local hospitals treated hundreds of other injured patients, the blast tearing a hole through the tight-knit Texas community.
The explosion was so powerful it was felt 45 miles away – and registered as a 2.1-magnitude earthquake with the United States Geological Survey.
“It was like being in a tornado. Stuff was flying everywhere. It blew out my windshield,” said Debbie Marak, 58, who was driving near the plant when it exploded.
“It was like the whole earth shook.”
Additional reporting by Dan Good.
With Post Wire Services